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Kierkegaard's Fear And Trembling -
Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling What is a human person. How do human beings relate to God. Who am I. Why do I exist. I. Soeren Kierkegaard, a famous theologian of the 19th Century, wrote Fear and Trembling in 1843 in response to Hegelianism. Kierkegaard takes on the pseudonymous role of Jonannes de Silentio and speaks on modern peoples' attitudes toward doubt and faith. He believes humans are creatures entrenched in reason and doubt but not in the same sense as Descartes, a French mathematician, scientist and philosopher.... [tags: Soeren Kierkegaard]

Faith in Kierkegaard's Breaking the Waves -
Faith in Kierkegaard's Breaking the Waves In Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, he discusses the "Three Movements to Faith." For Kierkegaard, faith of any kind involves a paradox. This paradox, as well as Kierkegaard's suggested path to faith, is illustrated by the main characters of Breaking the Waves, Bess and Jan. Kierkegaard explains there are steps one can take towards faith; however, they are so difficult he believes only one person, the "Knight of Faith," has completed the movements.... [tags: Kierkegaard Breaking the Waves Essays]

Concept of Anxiety by Soren Kierkegaard -
The Moment and Inwardness I. Introduction In The Concept of Anxiety, S�ren Kierkegaard deals with human anxiety about the possibility posed by freedom as it relates to sinfulness and spiritual progress. This paper will show that Kierkegaard?s concept of the moment and his prescription for inwardness, both in the context of spirituality, are connected. Importantly, inwardness depends on the moment and the possibility of transition that does not take place in time, transition that seems sudden if spotted from a temporal perspective.... [tags: Philosophy Soren Kierkegaard]

Kierkegaard -
Kierkegaard Kierkegaard felt that subjective reflection was more crucial to the individual life than objective reflection because it focused on passion and human existence instead of logic and impersonal truth. The objective world is the world of facts and truth independent of the perceptions of humans. Objective reflection focuses on what actually is, in the objective world. Objective reflection centers on the things and ideas in the world that can give meaning to life. The subjective world is the world of human thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.... [tags: Papers]

Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein -
Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein The connections between Ludwig Wittgenstein and Soren Kierkegaard as philosophers are not at all immediately obvious. On the surface, Wittgenstein deals with matters concerning the incorrect use of philosophical language and Kierkegaard focuses almost exclusively on answering the question 'how to become a Christian'. But this account belies deeper structural similarities between these men's important works. Thus, this paper suggests that their methods, rather than exclusively content, contain a strong parallel on which a natural and hopefully fruitful examination of their work can be based.... [tags: Papers]

Faith in Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard -
Kierkegaard believes that true faith can only be attained through a double movement of giving up rationality or logic, while at the same time believing one can understand logically. In “Fear and Trembling” Kierkegaard relates true faith to the Knight of infinite resignation and the Knight of faith; in this paper, I will examine this claim and show why Kierkegaard’s analogy is an excellent metaphor for the double movement which is required in one’s quest to attain faith and why. Kierkegaard’s position on faith is represented with the Knight of infinite resignation and the Knight of faith.... [tags: Faith Literary Analysis]:: 2 Works Cited

Existentialism: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche -
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves.... [tags: Philosophy ]:: 9 Works Cited

Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling: A Solution to Kierkegaard’s Despair Over Christianity -
In Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, the concept of the Knight of Faith is an exalted one, a unique title awarded to those whose devotion to God goes far beyond what is even comprehensible or expected for the average man, who has an aesthetic or ethical life. We are told by Kierkegaard that this Knight of Faith, when in a situation where resignation appears to be the only solution to a problem, puts his faith in what appears to be the absurd, and believes that the solution that he desires lies in God.... [tags: The Knight of Faith]

Soren Kierkegaard's Fear And Trembling -
How does the individual assure himself that he is justified. In Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, Abraham, found in a paradox between two ethical duties, is confronted with this question. He has ethical duties to be faithful to God and also to his son, Isaac. He believes that God demands him to sacrifice Isaac. But, Abraham, firmly adhering to his faith, submitted to what he believed was the will of God. By using his perspective and that of his alternative guise, Johannes de Silentio, Kierkegaard concentrates on the story of Abraham in such a way that his audience must choose between two extremes.... [tags: Judgment Ethics Dilemma]

Nietzsche, Marx, and Kierkegaard -
Nietzsche, Marx, and Kierkegaard Zarathustra is always a favorite, with the ringing of God is dead throughout the mountains. Re-evaluating our idols, discovering the significance of their dethroning and how it relates to the intricate web that we create for our lives. Zarathustra, holy man in his blasphemy, ushering in a new era where the last men are eradicated, the filthy vermin masquerading intelligence led by the promise of cheese. Formerly the world was a mad place, filled with mice traps, and the drool pours down their uncomprehending faces.... [tags: Papers]

Kierkegaard and P.M. Moller on Immortality -
Kierkegaard and P.M. Moller on Immortality P.M. Moller and His Relation to S.A. Kierkegaard Although virtually unknown today outside of Danish philosophical circles, Moller (1794-1838) was, during his lifetime, esteemed as one of Denmark’s most loved poets, and beginning in 1831 he held the position of professor of philosophy at the University of Denmark. While at the university Moller taught Moral and Greek Philosophy, and his early philosophical position has been regarded as Hegelian. Kierkegaard began his university studies in 1830, and the young professor made a deep impression upon him.... [tags: Essays Papers]

The Role of Love in the Thought of Kant and Kierkegaard -
The Role of Love in the Thought of Kant and Kierkegaard ABSTRACT: Following Ronald Green's suggestion concerning Kierkegaard's dependence upon Kant, I show how Kierkegaard drew upon Kant's The Metaphysics of Morals in order to develop his own doctrine of divine love. Where Kant saw only a peripheral role for love in the moral life, we will see how Kierkegaard places love at the center of human life in Works of Love. The leap of faith requires that every aspect of life be informed by love in response to God's love for us.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Papers]:: 3 Works Cited

Is Kierkegaard's Absolute Paradox Hume's Miracle? -
Is Kierkegaard's Absolute Paradox Hume's Miracle. ABSTRACT: I clarify Hume's concept of miracle with Kierkegaard's concept of absolute paradox. I argue that absolute paradox is like that miracle which, according to Hume, allows a human being to believe Christianity against the principles of his understanding. I draw such a conclusion on the basis that Kierkegaard does not think Christianity is a doctrine with a truth value and, furthermore, he holds that all historical events (such as miracles) are doubtful.... [tags: Religion Christianity Essays]:: 4 Works Cited

Possible Explanation of Kierkegaard’s Reasoning -
Possible Explanation of Kierkegaard’s Reasoning As some philosophers suggest, an individual may only know what he knows through experience. What is sensed equals what is known. Because we understand things through our senses, then what we understand must also be expressed through our senses. We represent that knowledge through language. Language is a means of transferring our experiences to a concrete, literal form, so the sensuous can be made known in the psyche. To describe a snake (itself a linguistic representation of my experience), I might use the word, “slimy,” thus, I have distinguished one feeling from another feeling.... [tags: Essays Papers]

Kierkegaard and Abraham: A Literary Tool and Belief in the Ideal Christian-Existentialist -
Abraham, the father of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions is held up by Kierkegaard as the perfect model for faith in Fear and Trembling. The specific example most strongly used in Kierkegaard’s writing is the unhesitant actions of Abraham to heed God’s call and sacrifice his only son and promised heir to his kingdom, Isaac. Abraham faithfully follows God’s command without remorse, doubt, sadness, or anger. It is only moments before the murder and sacrifice of Isaac that God intervenes and send a ram in his stead.... [tags: Literary Analysis ]:: 3 Works Cited

Defending Organized Religion and Kierkegaard’s Anti-Climacus -
Defending Organized Religion and Kierkegaard’s Anti-Climacus Practice in Christianity, written by the pseudonym[1] of Anti-Climacus, describes the ideal Christian life from the perspective of the ideal Christian. ‘Anti-’ in the sense of ‘Anti-Climacus’ is not an indication of opposition (to Climacus, the ‘devoutly non-Christian’ ethicist and editor of Either/Or whose esthetic sense was particularly keen). Rather, “Anti-” is an older form of “ante”, meaning ‘before’ both in the sense of time and in the sense of rank.... [tags: Essays Papers]:: 2 Sources Cited

Kierkegaard: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" as a Basis for Ethics -
Kierkegaard: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" as a Basis for Ethics "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." [Matthew 22:37-40, AV] "When you open the door which you shut in order to pray to God, the first person you meet as you go out is your neighbour whom you shall love.... [tags: Morals Philosophy Philosophical Essays]:: 6 Works Cited

Comparing and Contrasting Nietzsche’s Preparatory Human Being and Kierkegaard’s Knight of Faith -
Take a minute to relax. Enjoy the lightness, or surprising heaviness, of the paper, the crispness of the ink, and the regularity of the type. There are over four pages in this stack, brimming with the answer to some question, proposed about subjects that are necessarily personal in nature. All of philosophy is personal, but some philosophers may deny this. Discussed here are philosophers that would not be that silly. Two proto-existentialists, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, were keen observers of humanity, and yet their conclusions were different enough to seem contradictory.... [tags: philosophy]:: 3 Works Cited

Kierkegaards View on Faith -
Kierkegaards View on Faith Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher in the mid 1800s. He is known to be the father of existentialism and was at least 70 years ahead of his time. Kierkegaard set out to attack Kant’s rational ethics and make attacks on the Christianity of our day. He poses the question, how do we understand faith. He states that faith equals the absurd. In “Fear and Trembling”, he uses the story of Abraham and his son Isaac to show an example of faith as the absurd. The story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac signifies a break in the theory that ethics and religion go hand in hand.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Essays]

The Individual Being in Hegel's Philosophy -
The only similarity between Marx and Kierkegaard – beyond disagreeing with Hegel – is they both find Hegel to be apathetic. As Kierkegaard summarized in Either/Or, and as Marx exemplifies in his many writings, either one is to resign themselves to inaction for the greater good or one commits to action regardless of the consequences. Hegel, they argue, commits himself to the former. He resigns himself to universal ethics, acting on the greater good at the expense of the individual. Here, Kierkegaard and Marx swerve away from Hegel.... [tags: Philosophy]:: 3 Works Cited

The Principle of Credultiy, the Will to Believe, and the Role of Rationality and Evidence in Religious Experience -
The Principle of Credultiy, the Will to Believe, and the Role of Rationality and Evidence in Religious Experience Explain the principle of credulity, the will to believe and the role of rationality and evidence in religious experience The principle of credulity, the will to believe and the role of rationality and evidence all play crucial roles while attempting to explain religious experience. The principle of credulity states that religious experiences should be taken at their face value when we have no positive reason to doubt them.... [tags: Papers]

Understanding Human Nature: Examples from Philosophy and the Arts -
Understanding Human Nature: Examples from Philosophy and the Arts ABSTRACT: Ours is not the first time philosophers have looked to art for examples to illustrate their arguments. One example would be Kierkegaard, who turned to Mozart's operas in an attempt to expose what he called the aesthetic realm of existence. I hold that if Kierkegaard lived today, he would consider the main character of Nikita Mikhalkov's Dark Eyes (1987) as a prototype of the aesthetic way of existence. In order to support my thesis, I first discuss Kierkegaard's theory of the three spheres of existence.... [tags: Philosophy]

Black and White -
In Sunset Limited, Black conveys Kierkegaard’s philosophy through his own life and words. In the beginning of the play, Black and White argue over the meaning of life—the former loving it, the latter trying to end it. Early on, Black tries to identify with White’s suicidal argument by noting that “Suffering and human destiny are the same thing” (55). Of course, Black’s admittance does not mean he believes in White’s argument, but instead that he understands White’s pain. Likewise, Kierkegaard’s description of life is similar to Black’s reasoning.... [tags: Literary Review]

A Call to the Task: The Attunement of Fear and Trembling -
In the “Attunement” of Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, the author produces four beautiful variations on God’s temptation of Abraham in Genesis 22. In each, Abraham fails at his test in some way; even though in each he offers his son, he misses the full movements of philosophy and faith that the true Abraham completed. Each is closed by a brief image of a child being weaned, presumably a metaphor of the past story. Characteristically of Kierkegaard’s non-prescriptive style, we are told that these stories are the way in which a certain man has tried to understand Abraham; we are invited, but not forced, into contemplation of these various stories.... [tags: Literary Review]

The Individual or Society -
“Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals.” What is the concept of the individual. The common notation is one who separates from society in the pursuit of his or her own needs, goals, and desires; to define his or her own self and to gain independence and self-reliance. However, an individual must enter into society to further his or her own self interest. Due to that contradiction, individualism is often contrasted with society or anti-individualism.... [tags: Sociology ]:: 7 Works Cited

Relationships in a World without God -
Relationships in a World without God In a world in which lives are shaped by irreversible choices and by random events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance. Life in this designless universe raises questions of identity and can cause turmoil between the relationships of the self to others, the self to history, and the self to God. Through the words of existentialist novelists and philosophers Milan Kundera and Jean-Paul Sartre, we witness the philosophical and psychological struggles for identity, existence, and ‘being’ of the characters in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Nausea.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Religion Essays]

Existentialism In The Early 19th Century -
Existentialism in the Early 19th Century Major Themes Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, the term is impossible to define precisely. Certain themes common to virtually all existentialist writers can, however, be identified. The term itself suggests one major theme: the stress on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Moral Individualism Most philosophers since Plato have held that the highest ethical good is the same for everyone; insofar as one approaches moral perfection, one resembles other morally perfect individuals.... [tags: essays research papers]

Tragedy as a Catalyst for Character Development -
When analyzing the use of tragedy-wisdom that stems from pain or sorrow- as a form of character development, one must mention Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex yet more iconically Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although traditionally ignored, Isak Dinesen, whom Thomas R. Wissen regarded as an author who’s “tales will not disappoint” must be included among the elite of authors of tragic stories (“The Ring” 237). Many are familiar with her best known pieces such as Out of Africa or Babbete’s Feast; however her most very skillful use of tragedy is in the short story The Ring (230).... [tags: Literature]:: 5 Works Cited

Faithing -
Faithing Faith is an odd sort of virtue. In these days of televangelism, tracts, and the "Christian right," one would be tempted to identify faith with a set of beliefs, a conglomerate of successive religious propositions that one has accepted; a branch of one’s "mental furniture," so to speak. However, to limit one’s definition of faith to this narrow band is to do faith itself a disservice. In the history of literature and philosophy alike, there are those who have conceived of faith rather differently.... [tags: Essays Papers]

Can We Prove God Exists? -
Philosophers, whether they are atheists, or believers have always been eager to discuss the existence of God. Some philosophers, such as St Thomas Aquinas, and St Anselm, believe that we have proven that God exists through our senses, logic, and experience. Others such as Soren Kierkegaard, and Holbach, feel that we will never have the answer to this question due to our human limitations, and reason. The believer tends to rely on faith for his belief, and claim they do not need proof in order to believe in the God's existence.... [tags: Philosophy]

Devils Grasp -
Existentialism is the title of the set of philosophical ideals that emphasizes the existence of the human being, the lack of meaning and purpose in life, and the solitude of human existence. Existentialism maintains existence precedes essence: This implies that the human being has no essence, no essential self, and is no more that what he is. He is only the sum of life is so far he has created and achieved for himself. Existentialism acquires its name from insisting that existence precedes essence.... [tags: essays research papers]

Existentialist Views on Death -
Existentialist Views on Death What is Existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophy developed chiefly in the 20th century that attempts find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. The central theme of existentialism is that an individual must assume all responsibilities for his or her acts of free will without any absolute knowledge of what is right or wrong. Existentialism analyzes this somewhat dismal situation mankind has been thrown into, and produces a model for how an individual should live his or her life.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Papers]:: 1 Works Cited :: 4 Sources Cited

Comparing Hegel, Marx, Kant's Views on Pantheism -
Comparing Hegel, Marx, Kant's Views on Pantheism 1.Hegel is a pantheist, meaning that he believes that everytng toeather comes to being God. Subsequently he believes that everythenig is one, menatin gtat reason and reality actually are the same thing, fuirtheremore Hegel believst that reality is reason, this is his "first Principle". In contrast to this Kant believes that all we really know are our persc=eptions of the real (Nominal world) and tat we cannot really knowanything aobut the real world.... [tags: Papers]

The Fate of Prometheus -
The Fate of Prometheus “Ah me, alas, pain, pain ever, forever. / No change, no pause, no hope. – Yet I endure” (I, 23-24) – such are the words of Prometheus, when in desperation and overwhelmed by emotion, his thoughts dissolve in sheer agony and turn to himself, away from the Mighty God whose “ill tyranny” has nailed him to the “eagle-baffling mountain” (I, 19-20). In his essay, Prometheus: The Romantic Revolutionary, Northrop Frye observes that “pain is the condition which keeps Prometheus conscious” (96), because in reflection, he is confronted with himself, and his sense of self and being.... [tags: Prometheus]:: 4 Works Cited

Paradox of Faith -
Paradox of Faith In Fear and Trembling Kierkegaard examines the old story of Abraham being commanded by what is perceived to be god to kill his only child. Abraham had spent many years trying to conceive a child with his wife Sarah and finally successfully had a boy named Isaac. In what appears to be the test of ultimate sacrifice god, appearing as a burning bush, asks Abraham to take his only son to the mountain and kill him with a knife. The question most people ask is why would a god command Abraham to commit such an atrocious act.... [tags: Faith]

Life has meaning by showing God’s love through service to others needs. -
Life has meaning by showing God’s love through service to others needs. When attempting to answer the question of the meaning of life each person will give a different answer, one that would reflect their age, religious beliefs, personal history and current circumstances. For many the meaning of life can be best described as meeting a person’s basic needs for survival, as observed by Simone Weil. She classified the needs of the body as food, shelter, clothing, and physical security, whereas, the needs of the soul were meaning and value, rooted in freedom of choice (Ambrosio, 2008).... [tags: Philosophy]:: 19 Works Cited

Salvation Through Human Suffering in Crime and Punishment -
Salvation Through Human Suffering in Crime and Punishment “All men must suffer, and salvation can not be obtained unless this suffering is present” (Boland, p.4). All of the characters in the novel experience some sort of internal or external suffering. The main character, Raskolnikov, must grow and realize this in order to overcome his conflicts and reach the salvation of peace within. Dostoevsky’s concentration and focus is on why suffering must exist and how this suffering can be conquered. This is found to be true because in the six sections of the novel, only one is focused on the crime, and the remaining five are concentrated on Raskolnikov’s journey to overcome his suffering.... [tags: literary analysis, analytical essay]

God’s Existence -
This semester our Philosophy of Religion class took a more broad approach towards the intimate ideas of God. A question we must all ask ourselves; is there a God and if so how can we prove there is. As a class we challenged our minds and throughout possibilities, yet we never really came to an agreeable conclusion, considering the topic it must be broken down. The moral and ethical views will help guide me throughout, along with many other popular philosophical stand points and leaders to sustain and validate my assessments on the subject.... [tags: Argumentative Essay Theology]:: 1 Works Cited

Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye -
Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye creates an existentialist out of Holden Caulfield by giving him a strong personal opinion, a different sense of view, and isolation. Holden's individuality and his different way of thinking creates within him an Existentialist that refuses to accept weakness but holds sympathy for the weak and vulnerable. The basis for these beliefs lies within the most commonly identifiable theme of existentialism, which states that the philosophy stresses the concrete individual existence along with the individual freedom and choice.... [tags: Catcher Rye Essays]

Tyrant and Martyr in Sophocles' Antigone -
Tyrant and Martyr in Antigone "The tyrant dies and his rule ends,the martyr dies and his rule begins." Soren Kierkegaard This quote applies to Sophocles’ play Antigone in many ways. The two lines can be used to describe the opposition of the two main characters in the play, Creon and Antigone. One is a king new to the throne who will not be ruling for long, and the other, a martyr whose strong convictions will live on even after her death. In the first line of his quote, Kierkegaard states that a tyrant’s reign dies with him.... [tags: Antigone essays]

19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment -
19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment "I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him?" These words said by Friedrich Nietzsche encompass the theories present in Dostoevsky's nineteenth century novel, Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky, living a life of suffering himself, created the character of Raskolnikov with the preconceptions of his own sorrowful and struggling life. Throughout his exile in Siberia from 1849-1859, his sentiments of suffering, sorrow, and the common man surfaced and heightened, inspiring him to begin writing Crime and Punishment in 1859.... [tags: Crime Punishment Essays]

Exploring Existentialism and the Character Leanord in the Film, Memento -
Exploring Existentialism and the Character Leanord in the Film, Memento Although Christopher Nolan does not acknowledge any philosophical basis for Memento, the film provides a character, Leonard Shelby, who serves as an example of several aspects of existentialism. Through Leonard, Memento illustrates Soren Kierkegaard's idea of truth as subjectivity, Freidrich Nietzsche's notion that God is dead, and Jean-Paul Sartre's writings on the nature of consciousness. In Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Kierkegaard differentiates between the subject as the knower, and the world (object) as the known: the only way we know the world is through ourselves.... [tags: Movie Film Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

Finding an Existential Ethic -
Finding an Existential Ethic Existential philosophy is subject to a single, seemingly debilitating criticism: it comprises a frame of mind rather than a theory. As Mary Warnock argues in her book Existentialist Ethics, "It seems that to be attracted by Existentialism is to be attracted by a mood. When it comes to serious thought, one may find . . . that it is necessary to cast off the mood and start again" (57). The focus of the existentialist is on the individual, existing being. By nature, the subject of existentialism appears incommunicable.... [tags: Philosophy Religion Essays]:: 6 Sources Cited

Absolute -
An elephant was brought to a group of blind men who had never encountered such an animal before. One felt a leg and reported that an elephant is a great living pillar. Another felt the trunk and reported that an elephant is a great snake. Another felt a tusk and reported that an elephant is like a sharp ploughshare. And so on. And then they all quarreled together, each claiming that his own account was the truth and therefore all the others false (traditional parable). None of the accounts that the blind men made about the nature of the elephant are absolute truths, nor are the accounts false.... [tags: essays research papers]

Existentialism -
Existentialism Existentialism refers to the philosophical movement or tendency of the nineteenth and twentyth centuries. Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, a precise definition is impossible; however, it suggests one major theme: a stress on individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice {3}. Existentialism also refers to a family of philosophies devoted to an interpretation of human existence in the world that stresses its concreteness and its problematic character.... [tags: Papers]

Assessment of the View that it is Rational to Believe that there is a God -
Assessment of the View that it is Rational to Believe that there is a God Rational: To be rational is to think logically and within reason. To base your thoughts on evidence, and then use that evidence to come to a "rational" conclusion. Motivation: To be motivated to do or think something, normally the motivation will be because it will benefit you in the long run. Many philosophers use theses types of words when talking about whether or not it is rational to believe in god. Pascal for instance thinks that you should believe in God as you will gain more from it when you pass away if he does exist, i.e.... [tags: Papers]

Anxiety in Post Open-Heart Patients -
Concept analysis of Anxiety For many decades nursing has been developing tools to assist with development of theoretical and conceptual bases. Concept analysis has been identified by Walker and Avant (2005) as encouraging communication within the discipline it is being research in. Walker and Avant (2005) also point out that “the results of the concept analysis, the operational definition, the antecedents, and the defining attributes can provide scientists with an excellent beginning for a new tool or an excellent way to evaluate an old one” (p.64).... [tags: Health, Diseases, Theories of Anxiety]

Logic of the Absurds -
Logic of the Absurds Man's fundamental bewilderment and confusion, stems from the fact that man has no answers to the basic existential questions: why we are alive, why we have to die, why there is injustice and suffering, all this serve as the impetus for such a thinking. Man constantly wonders about the truth of life and realizes that the more you expect from it, the more it fails you or may be the more we expect from ourselves the more we find ourselves engaging in a futile battle with the odds.... [tags: English Literature Essays]

The Meaning of Life and Death -
The Meaning of Life and Death The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Human Morality Essays]:: 5 Works Cited :: 3 Sources Cited

Love -
It's a crazy thing to do, really. That two young people should together reach out and take hold of their future in this way--should determine that, come what may, it will be a future together--can hardly make sense. Unless, perhaps, God makes sense of it for us. For the miracle and the mystery of marriage is that God permits us to exercise just a little of his own creative power--to determine this one thing about our future: that it will be a future together. And having permitted us to be as creative as he himself is, God then asks us--and invites us--to learn also to be as steadfast and faithful as he is.... [tags: essays research papers]

Repetition and the Split of Sign -
We follow Lacan and return to Freud, only to find ourselves arriving at the knowledge that the unconscious operates like translating without the original text. There goes a process of representing activity in which we achieve a representation without knowing what is the "represented." Lacan leads us back to so many of Freud's decisive terms, thereby prefiguring the way those terms slip away from the grasp of traditional conceptual discourse. In The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-Analysis we are told that "the unconscious is structured like language" (FFC 20).... [tags: Linguistics]

A Kierkegaardian Structure to Man's Impetus -
A Kierkegaardian Structure to Man's Impetus I do not agree with Frankl. I do not believe Man’s primary driving force is a search for meaning. Nor do I concede with his critics that propose alternative ‘motivations’, such as power, or pleasure. I believe that man has the capacity to be driven by many motivational factors, not just any single one. Moreover, I believe that these motivations represent themselves in a predictable, patterned way. In three of the books we read this summer, it is possible to trace the evolution of the protagonist’s motivations, and their subsequent philosophical state of awareness.... [tags: Papers]

Virtual Organization E-Business -
Virtual Organization E-Business Marshall Industries has been making its mark as one of the first company to provide distribution of electronic components by conducting e-business on an international basis. Like many other company in its century, technology have played an important part and changing the way and giving many options on marketing and service a business. Countless businesses have taking a piece of the pie by taking advantage of the world wide web to conduct their business to a broader list of clients and taking their business out of the box.... [tags: Marshall Industries Case Study Analysis Virtual]

Existentialism -
“Why am I here?” “What is the meaning of life?” “Who am I?” These are all common questions for one to occasionally ponder throughout his or her lifetime. Some people, however, are plagued by those questions, constantly interrogating their life, and its purpose. I, happen to be one of the people who are chronically bedeviled by questions. I want to know what my purpose on this earth is, and why I’m really here. More than that though, I want to know who I am. (insert your name here) isn’t who I am; it’s a name.... [tags: essays research papers]

The Philosophy of Existentialism -
‘The most dangerous follower is he whose defection would destroy the whole party: that is to say, the best follower.’ – Friedrich Nietzsche Being recognizable and distinctive nowadays is something most individuals seek after. To become important or standing out in any community is not something today’s individuals have created or whatsoever. Ever since the twentieth century and even before, that belief and eagerness to prove your existence has been noticeably present. Not only between common people has this been there, also philosophers had sincerely thought about that humanly keenness to prove that one is different and essential, and tried to philosophically explain it.... [tags: Philosophy, Nietzsche, Socrates]

The Beliefs of Different Ideas of Philosophic Thought -
Monism vs. Dualism Believers and non-believers sums up monism vs. dualism. For the non-believer such as Spinoza God just does not exist, that all things can be reduced to a single substance or form. Spinoza believed that it is simple to explain how the body communicates with the body; it is virtually the same thing only conceptualizing from different viewpoints. Nevertheless, there is no life after death; there is only a substance in which we came from. The body is ruled by the laws of physics and what happens to them is determined to what happened before.... [tags: philosophy, ]

Victorianism and Existentialism -
Victorianism “can be taken to mean the parent of the modern” (Landow). The term Victorianism refers to the attitudes, ways, ideas, changes and events of the Victorian Era. “The Victorian Era is generally agreed to stretch through the reign of Queen Victoria” (Miller), from 1837 to 1901. During this period, which was “sometimes called the Second English Renaissance” (Miller), the Victorians faced many modern problems. However, the Victorian Era was an age of power which allowed the Victorians to come up with modern solutions and ideas.... [tags: Philosophy ]:: 6 Works Cited

History of Philosophy -
Throughout the semester our class has explored a chronological look at just some of the philosophers whose works have been published over time. Throughout the readings reoccurring themes, such as religion, wisdom, knowledge, reality and life occur and each philosopher offering their own opinions. Given these works, a timeline of viewpoints can be developed and can give a decent view of the shape of philosophy over time, as well as offering insight to how the time period and location may have shaped the views of philosophers.... [tags: informative essay]

20th Century Liberalism's Philosophies are False -
During the 20th Century, liberalistic philosophers created countless numbers of false philosophies that many people practice today. Among those wrong ideologies are existentialism, secularism, pragmatism, and Freudianism. The first false ideology, existentialism, claims that there is no truth and believes that all man can do is take a ?leap of faith.. This ideology claims to ?resolve. all man?s problems and worries because ?nothing is true.. Because there is no truth, therefore, there would be no God and, therefore, there is no wrong in the world.... [tags: essays research papers]

Existentialist Themes Of Anxiety And Absurdity -
Existentialist Themes of Anxiety and Absurdity In a world with such a vast amount of people there exists virtually every different belief, thought, and ideology. This means that for every argument and every disagreement that their exists two sides of relative equal strength. It is through these disagreements that arguments are formed. Arguments are the building blocks in which philosophers use to analyze situations and determine theories of life. For the purpose of this paper I will try and argue my personal beliefs on a specific argument.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Anxiety Essays]

Radhakrishnan's Thought and Existentialism -
Radhakrishnan's Thought and Existentialism ABSTRACT: I attempt to show the similarities between the viewpoints of Radhakrishnan and the existentialist thinkers. The philosophy of Radhakrishnan is an attempt to reinterpret and reconstruct the Advaita Vedanta of Sankara in the light of scientific knowledge and techniques of modern time. Existentialism is an attitude and outlook that emphasizes human existence. For Radhakrishnan, the human is essentially subject, not object. The existentialists assert that the human is not an object to be known, but a subject.... [tags: Philosophy Philosophical Papers]:: 2 Works Cited

Greek and Christian Models of the Truth -
Greek and Christian Models of the Truth In his Philosophical Fragments, Søren Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym of Johannes Climacus, poses the question, "How far does the Truth admit of being learned?" (154). A more direct and succinct formulation of Climacus' question is "How is the Truth learned?" since his question does not concern the extent of human knowledge, which "How far" implies, but the possible modes through which one comes, or may come, to know the Truth. For Climacus, there are two possible modes of knowing, or two theories of how one comes to know the Truth: the Greek and the Christian.... [tags: Philosophy Religion Essays]:: 5 Works Cited

Intellectual Freedom - It Isn't Free -
Intellectual Freedom - It Isn't Free We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown. T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Very few of us are unfamiliar with the Genesis account of creation, where it is written that "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." [1] The obvious point is that God creates the world; but later writings have chosen to focus on the idea that the divine being both creates and destroys by the power of His word alone.... [tags: Politics Political]

Balance Of Power -
The Balance of Power Throughout the semester, a theme that has guided our thoughts has been the idea that the self is the capacity to have capacities. Through what we have read, written about, and discussed, we have been trying to come up with our own answers to the questions about the self; what a capacity is, how we find them, which ones are essential to human flourishing, what we do with them once they are found. Yet all of these questions lead us to answer that final and defining question of "what is the 'truth'?" A capacity is a capability or a realized power in a person.... [tags: essays research papers]

Existentialism -
Existentialism In our individual routines, each and every one of us strive to be the best that we are capable of being. How peculiar this is; we aim for similar goals, yet the methods we enact are unique. Just as no two people have the same fingerprint, no two have identical theories on how to live life. While some follow religious outlines to aspire to a level of moral excellence, others pursue different approaches. Toward the end of the Nineteenth-Century and on through the mid-Twentieth, a movement followed "existentialism," a philosophical theory of life, in order to achieve such a level.... [tags: essays research papers]

Pathology Arises Out Fo The Ex -
Concepts of pathology, as treated by the traditions of clinical psychology and psychiatry, define what is &#8216;normal&#8217; and &#8216;abnormal&#8217; in human behaviour. Various psychological paradigms exist today, each emphasising diverse ways of defining and treating psyopathology. Most commonly utilised is the medical model which is limited in many respects, criticised for reducing patients problems to a list of pathological symptoms that have a primarily biological base and which are to be treated behaviourally or pharmacologically (Schwartz & Wiggins 1999).... [tags: essays research papers]

Karl Jaspers and Seung Sahn -
Karl Jaspers and Seung Sahn In this paper I will be making a comparison between the thoughts of Karl Jaspers and Korean Zen master Seung Sahn on the nature of consciousness and transcendence. The essays in question by Jaspers are his essays “On the Origin of My Philosophy,” written in 1941, and his lectures on the significance of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and “the Encompassing,” given in 1935 (p. 158). The other text being studied is The Compass of Zen, a compilation of Seung Sahn’s lectures on the three main branches of Buddhism.... [tags: Compare Contrast Philosophy Essays]:: 3 Works Cited

Human Mortality According to Heidegger -
Human Mortality According to Heidegger Martin Heidegger (1889 -- 1976) was, and still is considered to be, along with the likes of Soren Kierkegaard, Edmund Husserl and Jean-Paul Sartre, one of the principal exponents of 20th century Existentialism. An extraordinarily original thinker, a critic of technological society and the leading Ontologist of his time, Heidegger's philosophy became a primary influence upon the thoughts of the younger generations of continental European cultural personalities of his time.... [tags: Papers]

Choice and Individual Freedom in The Stranger (The Outsider) -
Choice and Individual Freedom in The Stranger Camus's The Stranger is a grim profession that choice and individual freedom are integral components of human nature, and the commitment and responsibility that accompany these elements are ultimately the deciding factors of the morality of one's existence. Meursault is placed in an indifferent world, a world that embraces absurdity and persecutes reason; such is the nature of existentialist belief, that rationalization and logic are ultimately the essence of humanity, and that societal premonitions and an irrelevant status quo serve only to perpetuate a false sense of truth.... [tags: Camus Stranger Essays]

Taking Risks and Living Philosophically: Abstract 1 -
Throughout the readings of Chapter 1, entitled Taking Risks and Living Philosophically, there are seven essays written by various authors. Albert Camus’, “The Myth of Sisyphus” Plato’s, “The Allegory of the Cave” Richard Wright’s, “The Library Card”, Soren Kierkegaard’s, “Living a Human Life” John Stuart Mill’s, “A Balanced Learning” Gloria Steinem’s, “Unlearning” and Bertrand Russell’s, “The Value of Philosophy”. Each of these stories has its own meaning and input to the chapter as a whole. I believe that the central idea, or thesis, of Chapter 1 is that life is suffering.... [tags: Philosophy]

Think Before You Act -
All my life I have been taught to think before I act, in order to prevent myself from making a mistake. Yet, I have learned through my many errors in life not to duplicate my unfortunate actions. Many times I have been told to consider the consequences of my actions prior to acting. I have found, though, that this may not always be the best approach. I would not argue this to be true in every situation, however. What is to be said, for example, of those who have acted on their emotions, only to find themselves in prison.... [tags: Psychology]

Friedrich Nietzsche: One of the Greatest Thinkers of All Time -
Friedrich Nietzsche was without a doubt one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century. He was a man who ventured to question all of man's beliefs. He was out to seek the important questions in life, not always their answers. Some consider Nietzsche to be one of the first existentialist philosophers along with Søren Kierkegaard. He was the inspiration for many philosophers, poets, sociologists, and psychologists including Sigmund Freud. His goal to seek explanations for society's commonly accepted values was an inspiration for Freud's psychoanalysis theory1.... [tags: Philosophy]

Destined to Be Read -
Destined to Be Read After I had graduated from a technical high school as an Electronic Technician, I decided to continue in the same field. I entered college to pursue an Electronic Engineering degree. When I started college, I was looking forward to taking philosophy because I had read some of my brother’s homework. My professor recommended that we read two books: More Plato and Less Prozac and Sophie's World. I chose to read the first one because I did not have the time to read both since I was taking a lot of credits that semester.... [tags: Reflection]

Abraham and Isaac: Was God’s Command Moral? -
“Abraham…Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” Genesis 22:2 Thus, Abraham, with perfect faith and trust in the Lord, sets out the next morning.to follow the commandment of God. This is the beginning of one of the most intriguing and horrific stories in the Old Testament. A man willing to kill his only son because he believes it is a Divine command from God. All well and good for Abraham; however, what if someone today came to me and said that the Lord had told them to sacrifice their child.... [tags: Scripture Analysis ]:: 5 Works Cited

Godot and Existentialism -
Every person is responsible for themselves. In society, people are responsible for their actions; good deeds will accede to rewards while bad deeds will lead to demerits. Humans live in a world where they are told what to do and how to do it, and faced with what is considered right and what is seen as wrong, but at the end of the day, humans have the freewill to do as they please and make their own choices, which leads them to being responsible for those actions. Everyday, humans are faced with these choices and decisions to make only to know deep down inside that they will either have positive or negative reactions to their choices, and it is this key idea that led to a specific philosophical concept in the 19th century, existentialism.... [tags: Philosophy, Deeds]

Existentialism -
In his 1946 essay Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre undertakes the task of defending existentialism against what he defines as “charges” (341) brought against it. Sartre begins to outline the “charges” brought against existentialism and further, existentialists. Following the medieval quaestio-form, Sartre begins with the statement of the objection, a short discussion, and then his reply to each. The first of the charges is that of quietism. “First, it has been charged with inviting people to remain in a kind of desperate quietism because, since no solutions are possible, we should have to consider action in this world as quite impossible” (341).... [tags: Analysis, Jean-Paul Sartre]

Murakami as an Existential Writer -
Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy and school of literature that holds that life is meaningless and chaotic, and any abstract theories about it are useless. All that exists is the world of phenomena as perceived by our senses. Whatever metaphysical concept that lies behind this world is not only impossible to know and understand, but also holds no significant value. The only choice we have to make in life is to accept this world with a kind of determined joy, to discipline ourselves, and to defy the emptiness and the chaos by finding our own meaning in life (“Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4”).... [tags: Philosophy, Writing]:: 5 Works Cited

The Stranger by Albert Camus -
The Word existence comes from the Latin root “ex” out, and sistere from stare, which means to stand (rise up). Existentialism literally means pertaining to existence or in logic, predicating existence. Philosophically existentialism applies to a vision of the condition and existence or lack of one, with God. According to Kierkegaard, Christian existentialism is all meaning and serenity which comes through one’s relationship with God by putting our selves in his hands and finding freedom from tensions and discontent and also praying to him in order to be bless and find peace within our selves.... [tags: Literary Analysis ]:: 3 Works Cited

An Overview of Postmodernism -
The political climate at the beginning of the 1940’s and the changes taking place all around the world drastically influenced the face of contemporary society. The invasion of Poland by Germany on 1st of September 1939 was the first stone thrown in the face of freedom of expression and liberty out of the many that followed for the next decades. The dawn of the Second World War was one of the premises that forced many European artists, pioneers par excellence in their field, through their French or German inherited status, to immigrate across the ocean.... [tags: art history, altermodern]:: 33 Works Cited

Christianity: The Tangible and Non-tangible -
... In this atmosphere the gullibility of Christians were mocked by sophisticated pagans and slanderous gossip grew into persecution. The personal witness of Christians and Christian martyrs had the effect of fueling the growth of the church, which is the invisible becoming more visible. The observation of Tertullian (c. 155-230) that, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” has truth in it, for without this blood seed and personal Christian evangelism the message would possibly have not spread in the way it did.... [tags: Theology Essays]:: 4 Works Cited